Dr. Teresa Mulhern:

The model in place in Ireland depends on where you are, and almost on who you are. There are some people who are still espousing a medical model of disability in which the disability is contained within themselves and you must cure it, etc. There has been a big movement in Ireland over the past couple of years to go towards a social model of disability wherein the environment is part of what disables people. For example, Currys recently put out an ad where its stores will have an hour for autistic shopping from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. every day. That is an example of the social model of disability. However, we should technically be going - and this is part of what we are proposing - towards a human rights model wherein everyone has inalienable rights to access environments as they see fit and the provision of care should not be dependent on any factors other than their own humanity.